Method and System for Communicating Location of a Mobile Device for Hands-Free Payment

ABSTRACT

Certain aspects of a method and system for communicating location of a mobile device for hands-free payment may include a peer-to-peer ad-hoc network that comprises a plurality of mobile devices, a plurality of access points, and a plurality of point of sale (POS) devices. A first mobile device may determine its location coordinates and communicate them to a selected POS device via the peer to peer ad-hoc network. At least one of the plurality of mobile devices and/or the plurality of access points may be within a defined proximity of the selected POS device. In some instances, the first POS device may receive via one or more intermediate mobile devices in the peer-to-peer ad-hoc network, location coordinates and payment transaction information of a selected mobile device. At least one of the intermediate mobile devices may be within a defined proximity of the first POS device.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS/INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE

This patent application makes reference to, claims priority to andclaims benefit from U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No.61/495,045 filed on Jun. 9, 2011.

This patent application also makes reference to, claims priority to andclaims benefit from U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No.61/511,963 filed on July 26, 2011.

This application also makes reference to:

U.S. application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No. 25002US01), whichis filed on even date herewith;U.S. application Ser. No. 12/852,443 filed Aug. 6, 2010;U.S. application Ser. No. 12/833,938 filed Jul. 9, 2010;U.S. application Ser. No. 11/940,219 filed Nov. 14, 2007;U.S. application Ser. No. 12/852,446 filed Aug. 6, 2010;U.S. application Ser. No. 11/641,624 filed Dec. 18, 2006; andU.S. application Ser. No. 12/843,868 filed Jul. 6, 2010.

Each of the above stated applications is hereby incorporated herein byreference in its entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

Certain embodiments of the invention relate to electronic paymenttransaction systems. More specifically, certain embodiments of theinvention relate to a method and system for communicating location of amobile device for hands-free payment.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Web-based deal advertising companies offer deals to consumers withincentives to use centralized server-based social networking sites. Oneof the limitations of these approaches is that the deals are offered bystores and advertised by deal advertising companies, or the storesthemselves, without knowledge of the location of their subscribedmembers and other shoppers. The location of a person, however, may beimportant in brick and mortar shopping, since people are more likely tobuy from stores that are in their close proximity. Another limitation ofcurrent deal advertising approaches is that they use traditional socialnetworking where the deal is recommended or forwarded to one's friends.However, most of those friends may not be physically near therecommended stores. On the other hand, if a person is near a deal storethen there may be many other shoppers nearby that are not his/her friendbut who may be looking for similar deals and coupons.

The proliferation of mobile devices such as smart phones, netbooks andtablet computers has led to a growing need to obtain accurate locationinformation of such devices. Wireless positioning may involve obtainingwireless signals and processing the signals into a location estimate.The typical information used for positioning, such as Global PositioningSystem (GPS) signals, may be processed to find the position of awireless device. For example, triangulation may be used where multiplerange or angle measurements from known positions are used to calculatethe position of a device.

The location-aware systems may differ in terms of accuracy, coverage,cost of installation, and maintenance of the systems. The GPS systemsmay use satellite signals and work in outdoor environments. However,they require direct line of sight and do not work well in an indoorenvironment. Cell tower triangulation is another method that usessignals from cellular towers to locate a wireless user. This method mayalso be limited in accuracy and reliability because of the coarse numberof cell towers from a particular service provider that a mobile user cancommunicate with, as well as multipath issues.

Further limitations and disadvantages of conventional and traditionalapproaches will become apparent to one of skill in the art, throughcomparison of such systems with some aspects of the present invention asset forth in the remainder of the present application with reference tothe drawings.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A system and/or method is provided for communicating location of amobile device for hands-free payment, substantially as shown in and/ordescribed in connection with at least one of the figures, as set forthmore completely in the claims.

These and other features and advantages of the present invention may beappreciated from a review of the following detailed description of thepresent invention, along with the accompanying figures in which likereference numerals refer to like parts throughout.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating communication of information inan exemplary peer-to-peer ad-hoc network, in accordance with anembodiment of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating communication of locationcoordinates of a mobile device to a POS device via an exemplarypeer-to-peer ad-hoc network, in accordance with an embodiment of theinvention.

FIG. 3A is a diagram of an exemplary display showing a schematic mapindicating defined geo-fences and a location of one or more mobiledevices within the defined geo-fences, in accordance with an embodimentof the invention.

FIG. 3B is a diagram of another exemplary display indicating a locationof one or more registered mobile devices on a schematic map, inaccordance with an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of an exemplary POS device, in accordance withan embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 5 is an exemplary block diagram of an exemplary mobile device, inaccordance with an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 6A is an exemplary flow chart illustrating exemplary steps forcommunicating location of a mobile device to a POS device via anexemplary peer-to-peer ad-hoc network, in accordance with an embodimentof the invention.

FIG. 6B is an exemplary flow chart illustrating exemplary steps forcommunicating advertisement and discounted deal information from a POSdevice to a mobile device via an exemplary peer-to-peer ad-hoc network,in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Certain embodiments of the invention may be found in a system and/ormethod for communicating location of a mobile device for hands-freepayment. Exemplary aspects of the invention may comprise a peer-to-peerad-hoc network that comprises a plurality of mobile devices, a pluralityof access points, and a plurality of point of sale (POS) devices. Afirst mobile device may determine its location coordinates andcommunicate them to a selected POS device via the peer to peer ad-hocnetwork. At least one of the plurality of mobile devices and/or theplurality of access points may be within a defined proximity of theselected POS device.

In accordance with another embodiment of the invention, the peer-to-peerad-hoc network may comprise a plurality of mobile devices and aplurality of POS devices. The first POS device may be operable toreceive via one or more intermediate ones of the plurality of mobiledevices in the peer-to-peer ad-hoc network, location coordinates andpayment transaction information of a selected mobile device. At leastone of the one or more intermediate ones of the plurality of mobiledevices may be within a defined proximity of the first POS device.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating communication of information inan exemplary peer-to-peer ad-hoc network, in accordance with anembodiment of the invention. Referring to FIG. 1, there is shown apeer-to-peer ad-hoc network 100, a shopping mall 102, and a plurality ofsatellites 101 ₁ . . . 101 ₄. The peer-to-peer ad-hoc network 100 maycomprise a plurality of point of sale (POS) devices 104 and 106, aplurality of access points 110 ₁ and 110 ₂, a plurality of cellulartowers 112 ₁ and 112 ₂, and a plurality of mobile devices 108 ₁ . . .108 ₇. A plurality of network servers and databases 114 may be coupledto the peer-to-peer ad-hoc network 100. Notwithstanding, the inventionmay not be so limited, and the plurality of POS devices 104 and 106 maybe connected directly to the Internet, without limiting the scope of theinvention.

The shopping mall 102 may comprise a plurality of retail stores in ashopping area such as a mall that may sell goods and services, which maybe referred to as items. The networked servers and databases 114 maycomprise a plurality of servers, for example, a deal advertising server,an ad-hoc social networking server, an information server, and acommunication and content server, for example. In accordance with anembodiment of the invention, one or more of the plurality of networkedservers and databases may be part of one or more of the plurality of POSdevices 104 and 106. The networked servers and databases 114 may alsocomprise a plurality of databases, for example, a member profiledatabase, a member location database, a member usage database, a memberreferral database, a member order database, a member wish-list database,a product database, and a store profile and rule database.

The plurality of satellites 101 ₁ . . . 101 ₄, access points 110 ₁ and110 ₂, and/or cellular towers 112 ₁ and 112 ₂ in the geographical areaof interest may be Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO) systems thathave multiple antennas which transmit independently and accordinglyimprove the accuracy by providing more channel characteristics orparameters.

The plurality of POS devices 104 and 106 may comprise suitable logic,circuitry, interfaces, and/or code that may be operable to record andtrack customer orders, process credit and debit cards, processelectronic commerce payment transactions, connect to other systems in anetwork, purchasing, receiving and transferring of products to and fromother locations, and/or manage inventory.

Each of the plurality of mobile devices 108 ₁ . . . 108 ₇ may comprisesuitable logic, circuitry, interfaces, and/or code that may be operableto communicate utilizing one or more communication protocols. In thisregard, the plurality of mobile devices 108 ₁ . . . 108 ₇ may each beoperable to transmit and/or receive data via Wireless Local Area Network(WLAN), Bluetooth, WiMax, HD Radio, Ultra-wideband (UWB), GPS, cellular,near field communication (NFC), and/or 60 GHz protocols. Exemplarymobile devices may comprise laptop computers, mobile phones, personaldigital assistants and/or personal media players, for example, or someother wireless device that is network capable and can send and receiveinformation. The plurality of mobile devices 108 ₁ . . . 108 ₇ may beoperable to receive, process, and present multimedia content and mayadditionally be enabled to run a network browser or other applicationsfor providing Internet services to a user of the mobile device. Inaccordance with an embodiment of the invention, the plurality of mobiledevices 108 ₁ . . . 108 ₇ may comprise one or more application-specificprograms for electronic payment transactions.

The peer-to-peer ad-hoc network 100 may allow mobile devices 108 ₁ . . .108 ₇ to directly communicate with each other. The peer-to-peer ad-hocnetwork 100 may grow or shrink without having to make any requests orreports to a central authority. When mobile devices 108 ₁ . . . 108 ₇are operating in ad-hoc mode, they may act as network nodes that maydiscover and communicate with other wireless network nodes that arewithin their range of communication. This communication happens inpeer-to-peer mode without requiring a wireless access point or router.Both Bluetooth and Wi-Fi standards may provide peer-to-peerconnectivity. Notwithstanding, other wireless standards that providepeer-to-peer connectivity may be used without limiting the scope of theinvention. The peer-to-peer ad-hoc network 100 may use an access point110 ₂ or gateway to connect to the Internet, for example. A mobiledevice that acts as a base-station may also be used to connect othermobile devices in a peer-to-peer ad-hoc network.

In accordance with an embodiment of the invention, Bluetooth wirelessprotocol may be used to provide short-range peer-to-peer connectionsbetween mobile devices 108 ₁ . . . 108 ₇. A Bluetooth network may bemade up of small subnets or piconets. A piconet may consist of two ormore connected nodes sharing the same channel. Every piconet may haveone master and several slaves, where the slaves may use the master tocommunicate with each other. Two or more piconets that have a node incommon may connect with each other to form a scatternet. A slave node inone piconet may be a master node in another piconet. The range ofBluetooth may be dependent on power and Bluetooth-class, which may betypically of the order of 10-200 feet, for example.

In accordance with another embodiment of the invention, Wi-Fi Directwireless protocol may be used to provide short-range peer-to-peerconnections between mobile devices 108 ₁ . . . 108 ₇. The Wi-Fi Directprotocol may have a maximum range of over 600 feet and speeds of up to250 Mbps and may allow a mobile device to advertise itself as acombination of a software access point and a peer. A mobile device withWi-Fi Direct may have a peer-to-peer connection to another mobiledevice, while having a wireless LAN connection to an infrastructurenetwork via an access point. The Wi-Fi Direct protocol may providesecurity with WPA2 encryption and Wi-Fi Protection Setup (WPS) securekey handling.

The ad-hoc networking server, which may be part of a POS device 104, forexample, may be used to configure mobile devices 108 ₁ . . . 108 ₇ tocommunicate in ad-hoc mode and to use the same wireless network andchannel when sharing information with each other.

In operation, a plurality of users of mobile devices 108 ₁ . . . 108 ₇may be moving around the shopping mall 102. Although FIG. 1 illustratespedestrians in a mall, other situations, such as, the users with mobiledevices in moving vehicles, may be used without departing from thespirit and scope of the invention. Each of the plurality of mobiledevices 108 ₁ . . . 108 ₇ may be location-aware based on globalpositioning system (GPS) receivers communicating with one or moresatellites 101 ₁ . . . 101 ₄. The plurality of mobile devices 108 ₁ . .. 108 ₇ may comprise one or more wireless transceivers that may beoperable to communicate with the plurality of cellular towers 112 ₁ and112 ₂ and one or more of the plurality of access points 110 ₁ and 110 ₂.Although two cellular towers are shown in FIG. 1, smaller cellular basedbase stations, such as femtocells and picocells may be used to improvecellular coverage in indoor areas without limiting the scope of theinvention.

Other networks that could be present are Bluetooth, Radio FrequencyIdentification (RFID), WiMax, UWB, Wi-Fi Direct, and/or 60 GHz wirelessprotocols. Each type of network may have one or more implementations.For example, the WLAN 802.11 standard (also referred to as Wi-Fi) mayinclude 802.11b, 802.11a, 802.11g, 802.11z, 802.11n and Wi-Fi Direct.The cellular network may include Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA),CDMA2000, Wideband CDMA (WCDMA), Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA),Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA), and other multiple accesstechniques. The users inside the mall 102 may be able to use theirmobile devices 108 ₁ . . . 108 ₇ and Wi-Fi access points in hot spotareas to connect to the Internet. The users with data plans may also usethe cellular network to connect to the Internet. A deal advertisingcompany may use its deal server and a network, such as the Internet oran Intranet, to communicate with the computing servers of the stores andthe computing devices of its registered members. The deal server may usea location server to estimate the location and velocity of all itsmembers. The deal server may then dynamically generate nearby storediscount deals that match subgroups of the members or use existingnearby store deals, and forward relevant deal advertisements to themobile devices 108 ₁ . . . 108 ₇ of the members.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating communication of locationcoordinates of a mobile device to a POS device via an exemplarypeer-to-peer ad-hoc network, in accordance with an embodiment of theinvention. Referring to FIG. 2, there is shown a peer-to-peer ad-hocnetwork 200.

The peer-to-peer ad-hoc network 200 may comprise a POS device 202, adefined geo-fence 222 generated around the POS device 202, a pluralityof mobile devices 204, 206, 207, 208, 210, 212, 214, and 216, and aplurality of access points 218 and 220. The geo-fence 222 may be avirtually fenced-off geographic location. The generated geo-fence 222around the POS device 202 may be defined as any regular or irregularpolygonal shape and may be dynamically modified. In accordance with anembodiment, the POS device 202 may be enabled to define the geo-fence222 to include a circle with a defined center and a defined radius on amap, or a rectangular area, or a polygon, for example. The POS device202 may be operable to allow a user to drag and move the geo-fence 222.Alternatively, the mobile device 212 with positioning capability may bemoved around to different locations on the desired geo-fence boundary todefine the geo-fence 222, for example. For example, in one embodiment ofthe invention, the defined geo-fence 222 may indicate a boundary of astore within a shopping mall or a food court, for example. In anotherembodiment of the invention, the defined geo-fence 222 may indicate aboundary of a particular department within a store or a restaurant, or abuilding, or a defined outdoor area, for example. In another embodiment,the geo-fence 222 may be a three-dimensional shape that may enclose avolume. For example, a geo-fence for a business that has multiple floorlevels may include multiple floors, where there are a plurality of POSdevices 202 on each floor and the calculated position of the mobiledevice 206 may also determine which floor it is on. Some examples ofthree dimensional geo-fence shapes may include a rectangular prism,triangular prism, pentagonal prism, octagonal prism, polyhedron,pyramids, sphere, cube, and/or a cylinder, for example.

The POS device 202 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry, interfaces,and/or code that may be operable to record and track customer orders,process credit and debit cards, process electronic commerce paymenttransactions, connect to other systems in a network, purchasing,receiving and transferring of products to and from other locations,and/or manage inventory. In one embodiment of the invention, the POSdevice 202 may comprise a computer, monitor, cash drawer, receiptprinter, customer display, a barcode scanner, a debit and/or credit cardreader, and one or more application-specific programs and input/output(I/O) devices for a particular environment in which it may serve. Inanother embodiment of the invention, the POS device 202 may alsocomprise a weight scale, a global navigation satellite system (GNSS)device, such as a global positioning system (GPS) device, an integratedcredit card processing system, a signature capture device and/or acustomer pin pad device. The POS device 202 may use touch-screentechnology for ease of use and a computer may be built into its displayto liberate counter space for a retailer. The POS device 202 may alsouse RFID readers for instances where the products use RFID tags insteadof barcodes.

The POS device 202 may be operable to handle a myriad of customer basedfunctions, such as, sales, returns, exchanges, layaways, gift cards,gift registries, customer loyalty programs, quantity discounts,pre-planned promotional sales, manufacturer coupon validation, foreigncurrency handling and multiple payment types. A POS device 202 for arestaurant, for example, may comprise all menu items stored in adatabase that may be queried for information in a plurality of ways. ThePOS device 202 may be utilized in various industries that may have apoint of sale, such as, a service desk, including restaurants, lodging,entertainment, and museums. The POS device 202 may be web-enabled, andmay be operable to remotely process transactions and track inventoryacross geographically-dispersed locations.

Each of the plurality of access points 218 and 220 and the plurality ofmobile devices 204, 206, 208, 210, 212, 214, and 216 may comprisesuitable logic, circuitry, interfaces, and/or code that may be operableto communicate utilizing one or more communication protocols. In thisregard, the plurality of mobile devices 204, 206, 208, 210, 212, 214,and 216 may each be operable to transmit and/or receive data viaWireless Local Area Network (WLAN), Wi-Fi Direct, RFID, Bluetooth,WiMax, HD Radio, Ultra-wideband (UWB), GPS, cellular, near fieldcommunication (NFC), and/or 60 Ghz protocols. Exemplary mobile devicesmay comprise laptop computers, tablet computers, mobile phones, personaldigital assistants, personal media players, gaming devices, image and/orvideo cameras, for example. The plurality of mobile devices 204, 206,208, 210, 212, 214, and 216 may be operable to receive, process, andpresent multimedia content and may additionally be enabled to run anetwork browser or other applications for providing Internet services toa user of the mobile device. In accordance with an embodiment of theinvention, the plurality of mobile devices 204, 206, 208, 210, 212, 214,and 216 may comprise one or more application-specific programs forelectronic payment transactions.

In operation, a user of a mobile device, for example, mobile device 208may enter a store or a defined geo-fence 222 around the POS device 202.The mobile device 208 may be operable to determine its locationcoordinates based on one or more positioning methods as described inApplication Docket No. 25002US01, U.S. application Ser. No. ______ filed______, which is hereby incorporated herein by reference in itsentirety.

U.S. application Ser. No. 12/852,443 filed Aug. 6, 2010, provides adetailed description of determining the location of a mobile devicebased on received multipath signals, and is hereby incorporated hereinby reference in its entirety.

U.S. application Ser. No. 12/833,938 filed Jul. 9, 2010, provides adetailed description of determining the location of a mobile devicebased on received signals with known radio transmission patterns, and ishereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

U.S. application Ser. No. 11/940,219 filed Nov. 14, 2007, provides adetailed description of determining the location of a mobile devicebased on assisted GPS, and is hereby incorporated herein by reference inits entirety.

U.S. application Ser. No. 11/641,624 filed Dec. 18, 2006, provides adetailed description of determining the location of a RFID tag, and ishereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

U.S. application Ser. No. 12/843,868 filed Jul. 6, 2010, provides adetailed description of determination of a location of a mobile devicebased on measured phase differences and corresponding frequencydifferences, and is hereby incorporated herein by reference in itsentirety.

The mobile device 208 may determine whether it is within a generatedgeo-fence 222 of the POS device 202 based on its determined locationcoordinates. In instances where the mobile device 208 is within agenerated geo-fence 222 of the POS device 202, a notification may betriggered on the mobile device 208 indicating its presence within thegenerated geo-fence 222 of the POS device 202. The mobile device 208 maydetermine whether the POS device 202 is within its range 208 _(R) ofcommunication. Since the POS device 202 is not within its range 208 _(R)of communication, the mobile device 208 may determine whether anotherintermediate mobile device 206 or access point in the peer-to-peerad-hoc network is within its range 208 _(R) of communication. Ininstances where another intermediate mobile device 206 in thepeer-to-peer ad-hoc network 200 is within its range 208 _(R) ofcommunication, the mobile device 208 may communicate its locationcoordinates and/or payment transaction information to the intermediatemobile device 206. For example, the mobile device 208 may communicate anauthorization to execute a payment transaction when the mobile device208 is within a generated geo-fence 222 of the POS device 202 and theintermediate mobile device 206 is within a range 208 _(R) ofcommunication of the mobile device 208.

The intermediate mobile device 206 may determine whether the POS device202 is within its range 206 _(R) of communication. Since the POS device202 is not within its range 206 _(R) of communication, the intermediatemobile device 206 may communicate the location coordinates of the mobiledevice 208 and/or received payment transaction information to anotherintermediate mobile device 204 via the peer-to-peer ad-hoc network 200.For example, the intermediate mobile device 206 may communicate anauthorization to execute a payment transaction to the intermediatemobile device 204 when the mobile device 208 is within a generatedgeo-fence 222 of the POS device 202 and the intermediate mobile device204 is within a range 206 _(R) of communication of the intermediatemobile device 206.

The intermediate mobile device 204 may determine whether the POS device202 is within its range 204 _(R) of communication. Since the POS device202 is within its range 204 _(R) of communication, the intermediatemobile device 204 may communicate the mobile device's 208 locationcoordinates and/or payment transaction information to the POS device 202via the peer-to-peer ad-hoc network 200. For example, the intermediatemobile device 204 may communicate an authorization to execute a paymenttransaction to the POS device 202 when the mobile device 208 is within agenerated geo-fence 222 of the POS device 202 and the POS device 202 iswithin a range 204 _(R) of communication of the intermediate mobiledevice 204.

The user with the mobile device 208 may choose to purchase one or moreitems within the store or the generated geo-fence 222. When the userwith the mobile device 208 is ready to checkout, the mobile device 208may communicate an authorization via the peer-to-peer ad-hoc network 200to the POS device 202 to execute a payment transaction based on the oneor more items chosen to be purchased when

The mobile device 208 may receive an authorization response for theexecuted payment transaction from the POS device 202 via thepeer-to-peer ad-hoc network 200. For example, if the mobile device 208is within a range of communication of the POS device 202, the mobiledevice 208 may receive an authorization response for the executedpayment transaction directly from the POS device 202. In instances wherethe mobile device 208 is not within a range of communication of theselected POS device 202, the mobile device 208 may receive anauthorization response for the executed payment transaction from the POSdevice 202 via one or more intermediate mobile devices 204 and 206and/or access points 218 with a range 218R of communication in thepeer-to-peer ad-hoc network 200. In accordance with an embodiment of theinvention, the user with the mobile device 208 may be able to executethe payment transaction without physically using or swiping a credit ordebit card, or without physically tapping or holding the mobile device208 near the POS device 202.

In accordance with another embodiment of the invention, a POS device 202may communicate discounted deal information and referral rewardinformation to the mobile device 204. The mobile device 204 maycommunicate discounted deal information and referral reward informationto the access point 218 and the mobile device 206. The access point 218may then communicate the discounted deal information and referral rewardinformation to mobile devices 206 and 212 within its range 218 _(R) ofcommunication. The mobile device 206 may then communicate the discounteddeal information and referral reward information to mobile devices 208and 207 within its range 206 _(R) of communication. In one embodiment ofthe invention, the intermediate mobile devices may act as networkingrouters and may forward the personal referral link and message of thePOS device 202 to destination users of mobile devices 207 and 208. Inthe event that a destination user with mobile device 207 or 208purchases the deal, the POS device 202 may allocate a reward to theoriginal referral source mobile device 204. Multiple sources can eachhave their personalized referral links and forward the same deal to onedestination. If a destination user receives multiple referrals for thesame deal, the user can then decide which referral link to use.

In another embodiment of the invention, each intermediate user of mobiledevices 204 and 206 may access a deal advertising server in the POSdevice 202, set up an account if not already registered, receive apersonalized referral link and message, and forward to the next user. Ifthe destination user of mobile device 207 and/or 208 purchases the deal,then the POS device 202 may allocate a reward to the last referralsource mobile device 206.

In another embodiment of the invention, a portion of the intermediateusers with mobile devices 204 and 206 may register with the dealadvertising server in the POS device 202 and receive their personalizedreferral links and messages, while other mobile devices may forward thepersonalized links and messages they receive. If the destination user ofmobile device 207 and/or 208 purchases the deal, then the POS device 202may allocate a portion of the reward to the last referral source mobiledevice 206 and allocate a portion of the reward to the original referralsource mobile device 204. The intermediate users of mobile devices 204and 206 that act as routers and forward the personalized referral linksand messages of other users are using the resources of their mobiledevices, such as battery energy and CPU. These users may not want toreceive their own personalized referral links but might demand to berewarded in some way if they are to allow others to use their mobiledevices as routers in an ad-hoc network. In accordance with anotherembodiment of the invention, the original referrer or user of mobiledevice 204 may specify a separate shared reward amount for intermediaterouters.

In accordance with another embodiment, when a user of a mobile device,for example, mobile device 206, may enter or leave a geo-fence 222, oneor more software downloads and upgrades may be downloaded on to themobile device 206. For example, when mobile device 206 enters thegeo-fence 222 of a mall an interactive map of the mall with dealadvertisements may be downloaded on to the mobile device 206. In anotherembodiment, when a user of a mobile device 206 may enter or leave ageo-fence 222, the sound of the mobile device 206 may be turned on orswitched off, or a volume of the mobile device 206 may be turned higheror lower. For example, when the mobile device 206 enters the geo-fence222 of a library or a movie theater, the sound of the mobile device 206may be turned off. In another embodiment, when a user of a mobile device206 may enter or leave a geo-fence 222, the mobile device 206 may bepowered down or enter a sleep mode or powered up or activated, forexample. In another embodiment, calendar reminders may be linked to thelocation of a geo-fence 222, location-based reminders may be created, areminder may be sent with an email, SMS, vibration, voice, or facsimile(FAX) when a mobile device 206 enters or leaves the geo-fence 222. Forexample, when the user enters a shopping mall, a shopping list remindermay be sent to the mobile device 206. In another embodiment, the actionsof a user with the mobile device 206 may be monitored and data-minedwhen they enter or leave a geo-fence 222. For example, when a userenters a geo-fence 222 that marks the boundary of a store, a software orweb service may monitor the actions of that user in terms of the amountof time they spend at certain store areas and which products they showthe most interest in. This information may then be used to present themwith personalized deal advertisements on their mobile device 206, onelectronic billboards and displays near them, or send them conventionalmail marketing material.

In another embodiment, when a user of a mobile device 206 may enter orleave a geo-fence 222, an email, SMS, vibration, voice, and/or FAX alertmay be communicated to the mobile device 206 or to another device suchas the mobile device 210. In another embodiment, when a user of a mobiledevice 206 may enter or leave a geo-fence 222, the user interface andfunctionality of a location-based application or a game may be changedso that it has a different look and feel with corresponding menus. Forexample, a location-based R-rated game on the mobile device 206 mayswitch to the functionality of a less violent home edition when themobile device 206 enters the geo-fence 222 of the mobile device 206user's home, and may switch back to the full version once the mobiledevice 206 leaves the geo-fence 222. In another embodiment, alocation-based application may be disabled or enabled when a user of themobile device 206 enters or leaves the geo-fence 222. For example, a kidmay not be able to play games on the mobile device 106 when the mobiledevice 206 is within a defined geo-fence, such as, a school, a library,and/or a home. In another embodiment, the Internet connectivity of themobile device 206 may be location-based and may be dynamically modifiedwhen inside a geo-fence 222, for example, using Wi-Fi for Internetconnectivity within a home or an office, and using a cellular data planfor Internet connectivity outside the geo-fence 222. In anotherembodiment, the network security settings of a mobile device 206 may bedynamically modified based on the location of the mobile device 206within or outside the geo-fence 222. For example, for an office or homewireless network, only users inside a geo-fence 222 may be allowed toconnect to the network and outside users may be denied access.

In another embodiment, a software application on the mobile device 206may be location-based and may start running and perform certainfunctions when the mobile device 206 enters or leaves the geo-fence 222.For example, when a user enters a geo-fence 222 around his/her home,his/her mobile device 206 may send an alert to software applicationsthat run on the mobile device 206 or on a different networked computer.The software applications may then turn on the lights of the house, openthe garage door or the front door, turn on the TV, turn on air coolingand/or heating, for example. Similarly, when a user leaves the geo-fence222 around his/her home, the software applications may receive an alertand turn off the lights, close all the doors, turn off the TV and otherappliances, and turn off air cooling and/or heating. In anotherembodiment, there may be several geo-fence boundaries such as 222 andwhen the mobile device 206 enters or leaves each boundary, differentactions may be triggered. For example, a large geo-fence may extendoutside the house for opening and/or closing the garage door and frontdoor, while a smaller geo-fence inside the house's living room may beused for turning the living room lights on/off.

In another embodiment, a first list of phone numbers may be created, andone or more phone numbers listed in the first list may be blocked asincoming voice calls, if the mobile device 206 is within the geo-fence222. In another embodiment, a second list of phone numbers may becreated, and one or more phone numbers listed in the second list may beblocked as incoming voice calls, if the mobile device 206 is outside thegeo-fence 222. In another embodiment, a third list of Internet webaddresses may be created, and one or more web addresses listed in thethird list may be blocked from being accessed, if the mobile device 206is within the geo-fence 222. In another embodiment, a fourth list ofInternet web addresses may be created, and one or more web addresseslisted in the fourth list may be blocked from being accessed, if themobile device 206 is outside the geo-fence 222.

In another embodiment, a user with the mobile device 206 mayautomatically check-in at a social networking web site, for example,Foursquare or Gowalla and receive award points when the user enters thegeo-fence 222 of a particular location. This removes the need for theuser to manually check-in to get award points. In another embodiment, auser with a mobile device 206 has to enter the geo-fence 222 associatedwith a business, for example, a restaurant, a hotel, a bar, or a nightclub in order to be able to write a review on a rating web site, forexample, Yelp or Tripadvisor. The review may be written while the useris inside the geo-fence 222 or at a later time when the user is outsidethe geo-fence 222.

In another embodiment, users of a ratings web site may filter the ratingreviews of a business based on a function of the interaction of thereviewer with the geo-fence 222 associated with the business. Thefunction may vary depending upon factors, such as, has the reviewer everbeen inside the geo-fence 222, how many times has the reviewer beeninside the geo-fence 222, what times and dates have the reviewer beeninside the geo-fence 222. The users of the ratings web site may, forexample, filter out or assign a smaller weight to reviews from peoplewho have not been inside the geo-fence 222 of a particular business, buthave nonetheless written a review. This allows users of the rating website to ignore or assign a smaller weight to the reviews from people whohave written biased reviews of businesses such as hotels, brick andmortar stores, restaurants, and night clubs without visiting them.Similarly, users of the rating web site may filter out or assign asmaller weight to reviews from people who have spent excessive timeinside the geo-fence 222 of a business. This may allow users of therating web site to filter out or assign a smaller weight to the reviewsfrom people who work for a business and write biased reviews on thatbusiness. In another embodiment, users of a ratings web site may filterthe rating reviews of a business based on a function of the interactionof the reviewer with the geo-fence 222 associated with the business aswell as the geo-fence 222 of related businesses. The geo-fence 222 maynot only describe the geography it encloses, but may also have otherproperties, such as, a business category, for example, a restaurant, ahotel, a bar or a night club. For example, a person who has been insidethe geo-fence 222 of many restaurants over a period of time as well asthe geo-fence 222 of restaurant X can be considered an experiencedreviewer of restaurants and his/her review of restaurant X may be givena higher weighting. In another embodiment, people posting reviews on arating web site have stored their information with the web site. Theinformation may include home address, age, marital status. Users of theratings web site can then filter the reviews of others based on complexqueries such as interaction of the reviewer with one or more geo-fences112, their home and/or work address, their demographics, and theircurrent tracked location. For example, users of the rating web site canquery the web site to “Show the top five highest rated hotels in Cancunfrom people who have been inside the geo-fences of the hotels in thepast”, or “Show the top five highest rated hotels in Cancun from peoplewho have been inside the geo-fences of the hotels in the past and havebeen inside the geo-fences of at least 10 other hotels in Cancun in thepast”, or “Show the top five highest rated hotels in Cancun from peoplewho live in California and who have been inside the geo-fences of thehotels in the past”, or “Show the top five highest rated hotels inCancun from people with kids who live in California and who have beeninside the geo-fences of the hotels in the past”, or “Show the top fivehighest rated hotels in Cancun from people with kids whose presenttracked location is California and who have been inside the geo-fencesof the hotels in the past”. These query methods can be supplied to userswith a simple user interface that has for example multiple checkboxesand fields that allow combining simple queries into more complexqueries. It is possible for a person posting a review on the ratings website to login and post their review with a different computing devicethan their mobile position tracking device. People posting reviews ofbusinesses on the ratings web site may disable position tracking or notprovide it. However, as a result, their reviews may be assigned lessweight by the ratings web site or by users of the ratings web site sincethere is no record of the reviewers being in the geographical proximityof the places they are reviewing.

In another embodiment, a user with the mobile device 206 who enters ageo-fence 222 may receive notifications to inform him/her which ofhis/her friends are inside the geo-fence 222 area. The notification maybe via an email, SMS, vibration, voice, map on the display of the mobiledevice 206, and/or a FAX alert. Similarly, when a user with the mobiledevice 206 leaves a geo-fence area 222 he/she may automatically checkout and/or send notifications to his/her friends to notify them thathe/she is no longer inside the geo-fence 222. In another embodiment, amoving object may be carrying a first position tracking device withinthe mobile device 206 and when the mobile device 206 enters or leaves ageo-fence 222, a notification may be sent to a second mobile device 210.The notification may be via an email, a SMS, vibration, voice, FAXalert, and/or map on the display of the mobile device 210 with thepositions of the mobile device 206, the geo-fence 222, and the mobiledevice 210. For example, the mobile device 206 may be attached to achild that is being tracked by a parent with the mobile device 210, orthe mobile device 206 may be attached to a company vehicle that is beingtracked by a supervisor, or the mobile device 206 may be attached to alivestock that is being tracked by a farmer.

FIG. 3A is a diagram of an exemplary display showing a schematic mapindicating defined geo-fences and a location of one or more mobiledevices within the defined geo-fences, in accordance with an embodimentof the invention. Referring to FIG. 3A, there is shown a display 300.The display 300 may be a display of the POS device 202 or may be adisplay of one of the mobile devices 208, for example.

The display 300 may indicate a map 302 of a store, a shopping mall, or arestaurant, for example. The map 302 may indicate a peer-to-peer ad-hocnetwork 301 comprising a plurality of POS devices 304, 306, and 308, andone or more corresponding defined geo-fences 303, 305 and 307 around thePOS devices 304, 306, and 308 respectively, which may representindividual stores in a shopping mall or restaurants in a food court, forexample. The display 300 may indicate a location of one or more accesspoints 310 ₁ . . . 310 ₅, and one or more mobile devices 312 ₁ . . . 312₉. The display 300 may also indicate a speed of movement and a directionof movement of the plurality of mobile devices 312 ₁ . . . 312 ₉ at theselected plurality of POS devices 304, 306, and 308. Accordingly, staffmay be assigned to designated sections of a store or stores in a mallbased on the indicated speed of movement and the direction of movementof the plurality of mobile devices 312 ₁ . . . 312 ₉ at the selectedplurality of POS devices 304, 306, and 308. The staff at the POS devices304, 306, and 308 may also correlate the speed and/or direction andidentifying information of users of mobile devices 312 ₁ . . . 312 ₉ onthe map 302 with their own visual sight of the people in their vicinityand use that information when they interact with the users of the mobiledevices. The store advertising displays may also use the speed anddirection information, where displays that are facing a user with amobile device and are about to come into his/her range of view areactivated and present customized information and advertisement to theuser.

A POS device, for example, POS device 304 may determine whether aselected mobile device 312 ₆, for example, is within a generatedgeo-fence 303 of the POS device 304. In instances where the selectedmobile device 312 ₆ is within a generated geo-fence 303 of the POSdevice 304, a notification may be triggered on the display 300 of thePOS device 304 indicating the presence of the selected mobile device 312₆ within the generated geo-fence 303 of the POS device 304. The POSdevice 304 may determine whether the selected mobile device 312 ₆ iswithin its range of communication. In instances where the selectedmobile device 312 ₆ is within a range of communication of the POS device304, the POS device 304 may communicate advertisement, discounted dealand/or payment transaction information to the selected mobile device 312₆ directly or via the peer-to-peer ad-hoc network 301. The POS device304 may be operable to store the user's past purchases with the store orrestaurant, credit and/or debit card authorizations associated with theuser, returns, exchanges, layaways, gift cards, gift registries, and/orcustomer loyalty programs associated with the user. For example, the POSdevice 304 may communicate advertisement information and/or discounteddeal information for one or more items recently purchased by the user ofthe mobile device 312 ₆ when the selected mobile device 312 ₆ is withina generated geo-fence 303 of the POS device 304 and the selected mobiledevice 312 ₆ is within a range of communication of the POS device 304.

In instances where the selected mobile device 312 ₆ is not within arange of communication of the POS device 304, the POS device 304 maydetermine whether another intermediate mobile device 312 ₄ in thepeer-to-peer ad-hoc network 301 is within its range of communication.The POS device 304 may communicate advertisement, discounted deal,referral reward, and/or payment transaction information to theintermediate mobile device 312 ₄ in the peer-to-peer ad-hoc network 301.For example, the POS device 304 may communicate advertisementinformation and discounted deal information for one or more itemsrecently purchased by the user of the mobile device 312 ₆ to theintermediate mobile device 312 ₄ when the mobile device 312 ₆ is withina generated geo-fence 303 of the POS device 304 and the intermediatemobile device 312 ₄ is within a range of communication of the POS device304. The POS device 304 may also communicate referral reward informationto the intermediate mobile device 312 ₄.

The intermediate mobile device 312 ₄ may determine whether the selectedmobile device 312 ₆ is within its range of communication. In instanceswhere the selected mobile device 312 ₆ is not within a range ofcommunication of the intermediate mobile device 312 ₄, the intermediatemobile device 312 ₄ may communicate advertisement, discounted deal,referral reward, and/or payment transaction information to anotherintermediate mobile device 312 ₅ via the peer-to-peer ad-hoc network301. For example, the intermediate mobile device 312 ₄ may communicateadvertisement information and discounted deal information for one ormore items recently purchased by the user of the mobile device 312 ₆ tothe intermediate mobile device 312 ₅ when the selected mobile device 312₆ is within a generated geo-fence 303 of the POS device 304 and theintermediate mobile device 312 ₅ is within a range of communication ofthe intermediate mobile device 312 ₄. The intermediate mobile device 312₄ may also communicate referral reward information to the intermediatemobile device 312 ₅.

In instances where the mobile device 312 ₆ is within a range ofcommunication of the intermediate mobile device 312 ₅, the intermediatemobile device 312 ₅ may communicate advertisement, discounted dealand/or payment transaction information to the selected mobile device 312₆ via the peer-to-peer ad-hoc network 301. For example, the intermediatemobile device 312 ₅ may communicate advertisement information anddiscounted deal information for one or more items recently purchased bythe user of the mobile device 312 ₆ to the selected mobile device 312 ₆,when the selected mobile device 312 ₆ is within a generated geo-fence303 of the POS device 304 and the selected mobile device 312 ₆ is withina range of communication of the intermediate mobile device 312 ₅.

The user with the mobile device 312 ₆ may choose to purchase one or moreitems within the store or the generated geo-fence 222. When the userwith the mobile device 312 ₆ is ready to checkout, the mobile device 312₆ may communicate an authorization via the peer-to-peer ad-hoc network301 to the POS device 304 to execute a payment transaction based on theone or more items chosen to be purchased when the mobile device 312 ₆ iswithin the defined geo-fence 303. The POS device 304 may authenticatethe received payment transaction information from the mobile device 312₆. For example, the POS device 304 may authenticate the received paymenttransaction information from the selected mobile device 312 ₆ based onone or more of a voice recognition, a gesture, a computer facerecognition and/or a biometric recognition, for example.

In accordance with another embodiment, the POS device 304 may comprise avideo camera to record the transaction. A user of the mobile device 312₆ may give the authorization, for example, the user may say “Put it onmy account” which may be video recorded by the POS device 304 and storedin a database to later resolve any potential disputes of a transaction.In another embodiment, the POS device 304 may comprise a biometricsinput device to record the transaction. A user of the mobile device 312₆ may give the authorization, for example, via a biometric scan, whichmay be stored in a database to later resolve any potential disputes of atransaction.

The POS device 304 may communicate an authorization response oracknowledgement for the executed payment transaction to the mobiledevice 312 ₆ via the peer-to-peer ad-hoc network 301. For example, ifthe selected mobile device 312 ₁ is within a range of communication ofthe POS device 308, the POS device 308 may communicate an authorizationresponse for the executed payment transaction directly to the selectedmobile device 312 ₁. In instances where the selected mobile device 312 ₁is not within a range of communication of the POS device 308, the POSdevice 308 may communicate an authorization response for the executedpayment transaction to the selected mobile device 312 ₁ via one or moreintermediate mobile devices 312 ₂ and/or access points 310 ₁ in thepeer-to-peer ad-hoc network 301.

In accordance with another embodiment of the invention, a POS device 308may be operable to determine the location coordinates of a mobile device312 ₁ within a 10 meter radius, for example. Accordingly, the POS device308 may authenticate the received payment transaction information fromthe mobile device 312 ₁ only when the mobile device 312 ₁ is within aparticular defined geo-fence 307. In other words, the POS device 308 maynot authenticate the received payment transaction information from themobile device 312 ₁ when the mobile device 312 ₁ is outside the definedgeo-fence 307 or within a neighboring store or defined geo-fence 303,for example. In another embodiment of the invention, the mobile device312 ₁ may preset its settings to selectively trigger an authorization toexecute the payment transaction when the mobile device 312 ₁ is within adefined geo-fence 307, and may choose not to trigger an authorizationresponse to execute the payment transaction when the mobile device 312 ₁is outside the defined geo-fence 307 or within a neighboring store ordefined geo-fence 303.

In another embodiment of the invention, the mobile device 312 ₁ may alsochoose to purchase one or more items from a neighboring store or definedgeo-fence 305. Accordingly, the POS device 306 in the neighboringgeo-fence 305 may be operable to store the user's past purchases withthe store, credit and/or debit card authorizations associated with theuser, returns, exchanges, layaways, gift cards, gift registries, and/orcustomer loyalty programs associated with the user. The mobile device312 ₁ may preset its settings to selectively trigger an authorization toexecute the payment transaction when the mobile device 312 ₁ is withinthe defined geo-fence 305

In accordance with another embodiment of the invention, a POS device 308may notify one or more members in the shopping mall 102 about a deal 1advertisement from store A with a defined geo-fence 307. The POS device308 may also use one or more of the access points 310 ₁ . . . 310 ₅ tobroadcast the deal to nearby mobile devices that are within itstransmission range. This deal may be dynamically generated by contactingstore A, or it could be a pre-existing store A deal. In both cases thePOS device 308 may use the users' locations and profiles in determininga match between the deal and the members. Different members may receiveadvertisements about different deals based on their location, purchasehistory, referral history, wish-lists and other profiles. In thisexample, mobile devices 312 ₁ and 312 ₂ may receive an advertisementabout the deal from store A because they are potential buyers of theadvertisement and/or because they are potential referrers to othershoppers. The users with mobile devices 312 ₁ and 312 ₂ may then havethe option to purchase the deal, and/or use ad-hoc social networking toadvertise the deal to near-by shoppers with mobile devices 312 ₃ . . .312 ₉. For example, mobile device 312 ₇ may not receive theadvertisement from the POS device 308 because its user's profile orlocation (too distant from store A) may not match the advertisement.Some registered members may also not receive advertisements because theydo not have network connectivity or because they have disabled positiontracking and the POS device 308 may not know their location. In somecases, other users may also receive advertisements either directly fromthe POS device 308 or through member referrals with standard networkinginfrastructure and communication servers (email, chat, text message, ashopping portal web site, conventional server-based social networking).

In accordance with an embodiment of the invention, if there are multipledeals from one or more stores a member may receive one advertisement forall the deals that includes a graphical dynamic map 302 with thelocation of all nearby deals, or separate advertisements for each deal.The users of the mobile devices may be using a software program to viewdiscount deals as they move around the shopping mall 102. This softwaremay be code running on a browser, or it could be a mobile deviceapplication that is running a session with a deal advertising server inthe POS device 304. The user may be authenticated with the POS device304 and may view personalized deal advertisements. A map server in thePOS device 304 may use the position and velocity information of the userand its map database to generate a dynamic map 302. The user's positionmay be illustrated on the map 302 with different methods, such as colorcoding or a circle with a radius that increases with positionuncertainty. The map 302 may display the member's name, position, traveldirection, and provide directions to the deal of interest. The speed ofthe user may be conveyed with different methods such as the length of adirection arrow or numerical overlays on the map 302. The map 302 mayalso display nearby stores and nearby deals. In one embodiment of theinvention, deal 1 which is the nearest deal at store A may be featured.The featured deal may have a description of the deal that states thecost to the user and the savings of the deal compared to a regularprice. The deal conditions may also be noted such as the duration of thedeal, number of items available, required minimum number of itemsrequested by buyers to activate the deal, and the discount function. Amember may filter the deals or select a particular one and receivedirections to the store and also directions inside the store to get tothe deal item.

In a deal-server centric approach, a buyer can select the quantity ofthe desired item, if applicable, and express interest in purchasing thedeal. The deal advertising server in the POS device 304 may check todetermine whether the deal conditions are met. Deal conditions mayinclude, for example, if a minimum required number of buyers haveexpressed interest, if the item is still available, and if the potentialbuyer qualifies for the deal (e.g. minimum age requirement). If the dealconditions are met then the transaction server in the POS device 304 maycharge the buyer and credit the store in exchange for a transaction fee(if multiple stores are involved it credits different amounts to eachstore). The POS device 304 may communicate an electronic receipt to themobile device 312 ₆ of the buyer. The buyer may then visit the store,show the electronic receipt, and receive the item. The buyer may alsorequest shipment of the item to a shipping address and not even visitthe store.

In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, if a user with mobiledevice 312 ₂ buys a gift card from the POS device 308, the user canvisit the store to pick store items and use the electronic receipt. Oncethe user is at the store, the user can use the mobile device 312 ₂ toscan and price items. For example, the mobile device 312 ₂ can use itscamera or a scanner to scan the barcodes of items. Alternatively, if theitems have RF tags with price information, the user can use her mobiledevice 312 ₂ with an RF tag reader to scan the prices. After the userhas picked the store items, the user can use the Near FieldCommunication (NFC) component of her mobile device 312 ₂, which acts asa smart card, to communicate with a store reader and exchange the giftcard receipt for the items. If the items cost more than the gift cardshe can pay the additional amount with a mobile device NFC card paymentmethod, for example.

In accordance with another embodiment of the invention, a POS device 304may be operable to define multiple geo-fences and each geo-fence maycover different areas for different applications. For example, thegeo-fence for a location-based hands-free payment may be inside thestore or geo-fence 303 and a small distance or radius from the POSdevice 304, while the geo-fence for sending deal advertisements maycover a larger distance and even include locations outside the store,for example, the stores and areas disclosed in map 302. Notwithstanding,a store may have multiple POS devices. A deal advertisement may be sentfrom the store's server rather than a particular POS device within thestore, for example.

In accordance with another embodiment of the invention, the users ofmobile devices may use their mobile device 312 ₆ to browse products ofnearby merchants, make a reservation and/or place an order, and thenwhen they are near a merchant's POS device 304, may complete thetransaction. The geo-fence for placing an order may be different, forexample, the stores and areas disclosed in map 302, compared to thegeo-fence 303 for proximity to the POS device 304 and completion of thetransaction.

FIG. 3B is a diagram of another exemplary display indicating a locationof one or more registered mobile devices on a schematic map, inaccordance with an embodiment of the invention. Referring to FIG. 3B,there is shown a display 350. The display 350 may be a display of thePOS device 352.

The display 350 may indicate a POS device 352 and its associatedgeo-fence 354 of a store, a shopping mall, or a restaurant, for example.The display 350 may indicate a location of one or more mobile devices356 ₁ . . . 356 ₄ within the defined geo-fence 354. The display 350 mayindicate a plurality of registered users with corresponding mobiledevices within the geo-fence 354 in a column on one side of the display.For example, the display 350 may indicate the name, photograph, or otheridentification of users with mobile devices 356 ₁ . . . 356 ₄ as tabs358 ₁ . . . 358 ₄ respectively. The tabs 358 ₁ . . . 358 ₄ may beordered according to a distance of the registered users to the POSdevice 352. The ordering of the tabs 358 ₁ . . . 358 ₄ may be updated asthe registered users move closer or further away from the POS device352.

The users of the mobile devices 356 ₁ . . . 356 ₄ may be registeredeither with a third party server or with the POS device 200 of a store.The registration of a user may include providing user identificationcredential information, and payment information, such as credit cardinformation, or other forms of payment information, for example. Once auser is inside the geo-fence 354, the information that is transmittedfrom the mobile device 356 ₁ to the POS device 352 to complete atransaction may not include their payment method details.

The operator of the POS device 352 may be able to zoom in and out of thegeo-fence 354 and may select one or more users by clicking that user onthe display 350 or clicking a mouse with its pointer on that user in thedisplay 350, for example. When the POS device 352 selects a user on thedisplay 350, the user's details in the column display may also behighlighted. In an alternative embodiment, when the POS device 352selects a user by clicking on one of the tabs 358 ₁ . . . 358 ₄, theselected user's location on the display 350 within the geo-fence 354 maybe highlighted.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of an exemplary POS device, in accordance withan embodiment of the invention. Referring to FIG. 4, there is shown aPOS device 400. The POS device 400 may comprise a location module 402, aprocessor 410, a memory 408, a plurality of networked servers 412, aplurality of networked databases 414, mapping data 416, and a display418.

The location module 402 may be operable to determine the locationcoordinates of the POS device 400 and/or one or more mobile devices, forexample, mobile device 208. The location coordinates may be determinedin Cartesian coordinates, latitude and longitude coordinates andaltitude for a 3D position, and polar coordinates. The location module402 may comprise a position processor 404 and a mapping processor 406.

Notwithstanding, the invention may not be so limited, and the signalingand position calculations of the mobile devices 204-216 may becontrolled by a remote networked server, for example. The plurality ofthe mobile devices 204-216 may be operable to communicate theirdetermined location coordinates to a remote networked server, forexample, a server at the social networking site Foursquare. The remotenetworked server may then provide the position and map results to thePOS device 400 without limiting the scope of the invention.

The location module 402 may receive measured position parameters andpositions of the systems where the position parameters were measured.The location module 402 may be operable to determine the position of themobile device 208 based on one or more positioning methods as describedin Application Docket No. 25002US01, U.S. application Ser. No. ______filed ______, which is hereby incorporated herein by reference in itsentirety. The location module 402 may comprise a position processor 404that may be operable to determine the raw location parameters thatprovide the position of a RFID tag in the mobile device 208, forexample. For example, the raw location parameters may represent theposition of the RFID tag as longitude, latitude, altitude, in Cartesiancoordinates, polar coordinates, such as, distances and angles, or asvectors, for example.

The location module 402 may comprise a mapping processor 406 that may beoperable to receive the raw location parameters and mapping data, andtransform the raw location parameters into mapping position information.The mapping data 416 may be used to transform the RFID tag's positionfrom Cartesian coordinates or vector representations, for example, intomapped position information, such as, shelf locations, aisles, rooms,warehouses, hallways, or streets. The mapping software components mayreceive mapping data that maps raw position parameters into mappedposition information. The mapping data 416 may further comprise imagesor maps that may be displayed to a user with the RFID tag superimposedon the image. The mapping data 416 may include information fortranslating raw location parameters into mapped position information,images, or information for translating between RFID tag IDs and thenames of items to which the RFID tags are attached. In other embodimentsof the invention, some or all of this information may be received froman external source system such as the POS device 400, for example. Inother embodiments of the invention, mapping data may be stored on theRFID tag itself. The mapping data 416 may further include navigationinformation for providing directions to the user based on the user'scurrent location and the location of a RFID tag.

The processor 410 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry, interfaces,and/or code that may be operable to manage the operations of the POSdevice 400. For example, the processor 410 may instruct one of aplurality of RFID readers to generate RF signals to a mobile device andreceive backscattered signals from the mobile device to determine thelocation of the mobile device. The memory 408 may be operable to storethe location coordinates of the plurality of RFID readers, for example.

The networked servers 412 may comprise a plurality of servers, forexample, a deal advertising server, an ad-hoc social networking server,an information server, and a communication and content server, forexample. A deal advertising server, for example, may be an agent betweendifferent stores and its members and may dynamically generate deals ortargets for existing coupon deals from the stores to the mobile devices108 ₁ . . . 108 ₇ of the members. The deal advertising server may haveaccess to a number of other networked servers such as a map server, alocation server, a data mining server, and a deal transaction server.The servers may perform different functions and may be separateprocesses that may run on separate computers, or a single computer.These servers may access a group of databases that contain informationabout store profiles, deal rules, and products. The databases may alsocontain information about members such as their profiles, locationhistory, usage history, referral history, orders, and shopping orwish-lists.

An ad-hoc social networking server, for example, may provide an ad-hocsocial networking application for the mobile devices 108 ₁ . . . 108 ₇of all users. This application may allow the users to use their mobiledevices 108 ₁ . . . 108 ₇ and communicate directly without an accesspoint. Users may build spontaneous social networks with other users intheir immediate area and advertise to each other. A user may be ashopper that is looking for coupon advertisements, and a seller that isselling advertisements through referrals, or both.

The networked databases 414 may comprise a plurality of databases, forexample, a member profile database, a member location database, a memberusage database, a member referral database, a member order database, amember wish-list database, a product database, and a store profile andrule database.

The member profile database may comprise member registrationidentification information, such as, names, billing addresses, paymentmethods, home address, work street address, email, instant message ID,and/or phone number, as well as demographics and interests. A member mayuse his/her mobile device or other computing device at home or work toupdate this information. The data mining server may also analyze theusage and order history of a member to update the member profileinformation. The data mining server may also be able to access thedatabases of the networked communication servers in order to update themember profile information. The member location database may comprisethe member's position and velocity at different time instances, and thedefault home or work locations. A location server may poll the member'smobile device or the member's mobile device may broadcast its positionand velocity. If the mobile device pushes its position information, thentwo or more position values at consecutive time instances may be used toestimate velocity. The member usage database may comprise a log ofmember interactions with the advertising server, such as its discountdeal web pages and messages.

The member referral database may comprise a log of a member's referralhistory. The referral history may include the average number ofreferrals by each member, total number of referrals for each member, theconversion rate of those referrals to purchases, and the dollar amountof the resulting purchases. Members with a high referral history may bevaluable advertising members and may receive notifications about moredeals, many of which they may not be interested in but may refer toother shoppers in return for rewards. The member order database maycomprise previous purchases of a member and current subscribed deals ororders. The member wish-list database comprises a wish-list and/orshopping list of items registered by the members with the dealadvertising server. The product database may comprise information, suchas, a product ID, a product category and a subcategory, a product name,a product description, a product manufacturer, a product barcode, andproduct photos, for example. A store may use its POS device or servercomputer and a network to communicate with the deal advertising serverand update its information. The store profile and rule database maycomprise information about each store, such as location, products,discount items, and discount rules. A store may use its POS device orits server computer and a network to communicate with the advertisingserver and update its information.

A financial transactions database may store a user's past purchases withthe store or restaurant, credit and/or debit card authorizationsassociated with the user, returns, exchanges, layaways, gift cards, giftregistries, and/or customer loyalty programs associated with the user.The POS device 400 may trigger an authorization to execute a paymenttransaction for the one or more items to be purchased when the mobiledevice 208 is within the defined geo-fence 222.

The display 418 may indicate a map of a store, a shopping mall, or arestaurant, for example. The map may indicate a plurality of POSdevices, and one or more corresponding defined geo-fences around the POSdevices respectively, which may represent individual stores in ashopping mall or restaurants in a food court, for example. The display418 may indicate a location of one or more mobile devices within thedefined geo-fences. The display 418 may also indicate a speed ofmovement and a direction of movement of the plurality of mobile devicesat the selected plurality of point of sale devices.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of an exemplary mobile device, in accordancewith an embodiment of the invention. Referring to FIG. 5, there is showna mobile device 502.

[94] The mobile device 502 may comprise a plurality of radios andantennas 504 ₁ . . . 504 ₄ to receive and transmit signals associatedwith the one or more radios. For example, the mobile device 502 maycomprise a GPS radio 506, a UWB radio 508, a WiMax radio 510, a WLANradio 512, a Bluetooth radio 514, a NFC radio 516, a cellular radio 518,a RFID reader 520, and a 60 GHz radio 522. Notwithstanding, theinvention may not be so limited and other radios capable of transmittingand receiving signals using one or more other protocols may be utilizedwithout limiting the scope of the invention. Furthermore, the mobiledevice 502 may comprise a subset of the listed radios in FIG. 5 withoutlimiting the scope of the invention.

The mobile device 502 may further comprise a clock 524, a positionmodule 526, a processor 528, a memory 530, and a navigation module 532.The mobile device 502 may be operable to be used about a geographicalarea of interest. For instance, the mobile device 502 may be within avehicle, such as, a passenger car or a commercial truck equipped withradios to receive signals and can move to locations within ageographical area of interest. In indoor environments, a mobile device502 may be carried by a user. In some embodiments of the invention, themobile device 502 may be a portable wireless device, a consumerhand-held wireless device, a GPS-enabled media player, or a GPS-enabledlaptop, for example.

The plurality of radios 506-522 in the mobile device 502 may beMultiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO) systems that have multipleantennas, which transmit independently and accordingly improve theaccuracy by providing more channel characteristics or parameters. TheNFC radio 516 may be operable to read barcodes, smart cards, andinterface with electronic payment systems. A GPS is a CDMA system thatuses Pseudo Noise (PN) codes with embedded data that provide satellitelocations and times. The GPS radio 506 may be of commercial quality insome embodiments and may be used to characterize the GPS communicationchannel. In some embodiments of the invention, the GPS radio 506 mayalso provide position values for all other radio communication channelreadings.

The processor 528 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry, interfaces,and/or code that may be operable to manage the operations of theplurality of radios 506-522. For example, the processor 528 may instructone of the plurality of radios 506-522 to scan for a particular signaland perform a channel measurement on a particular frequency with aparticular fast Fourier transform (FFT) size and measurement time. Theparticular radio, for example, WLAN radio 512 may process the receivedsignals to characterize the communication channel of that radio. Theprocessor 528 may then transfer the channel parameters in an appropriateformat into local memory 530. The configuration of most of the wirelessnetworks may not change with time since the signal sources, such as celltowers or permanent wireless access points do not move. However, somenetworks change with time because the signal sources move, such as, GPSsatellites make complete orbits of the earth every 24 hours. For thosechannels that exhibit a time varying dimension, the channels arecharacterized at different time instances. The clock 524 may be used totime stamp the channel parameters that are stored in the local memory530. In some embodiments of the invention, the clock 524 may be obtainedfrom a cellular tower, clocks of GPS satellites, or other externalsources.

The memory 530 may comprise a ROM for program storage and a RAM forrunning programs. The operating system interfaces the hardware with theuser and manages resources. Input devices of the mobile device 502 mayinclude keyboard and/or touch screen, microphone, and a cameraphoto-sensor for still pictures and video. Output devices of the mobiledevice 502 may comprise a display, a speaker, and wired or wirelessheadsets. The mobile device 502 may have a number of dedicatedapplications such as deal advertising, ad-hoc social networking, profileeditor and matcher, server-based social networking, email, instantmessenger, chat, SMS, and/or camera. The mobile device 502 may have abrowser that can browse information on the intranet/Internet anddownload other applications from the network. A bus may link all thesecomponents with the processor 528 and memory 530.

The mobile device 502 may also comprise a magnetometer sensor that mayprovide the orientation of the mobile device 502 in three dimensions totag the content with 3D orientation information, and an accelerometerthat may calculate the velocity magnitude and angle to tag the contentwith current velocity and velocity angle. The mobile device 502 maycomprise one or more applications that may use the position module 526to tag generated content with location information. The position module526 may provide latitude and longitude information or some othercoordinate system. The position module 526 may also convert thelatitude/longitude information to street addresses for maps. Thelocation coordinates, 3D orientation, velocity, and data/timeinformation may be included in the generated content, coded in thefilename of the content, or stored and sent in a separate metafile ormessage that is associated with the content. The content generated byapplications such as email, chat, SMS, social networking tools, and/or acamera may be complemented with location, orientation, velocity, anddate/time information, if the user/member chooses to do so by settingthe appropriate security preferences at the content level or at theapplication level. The mobile device 502 may upload the geo-taggedcontent for storage on networked geo-tagged user content databases. Someof the user security preferences may be stored locally on the mobiledevice 502, while others may be stored on user/member profile databasesthat are accessible to networked servers that provide applications (e.g.email, chat, social networking). If a member has disabled continuousposition tracking but has enabled content tagging, then the uploadedgeo-tagged content may be used to extract position and velocityinformation.

In accordance with an embodiment of the invention, the mobile device 502may retrieve a first set of parameters from a reference database in thePOS device 202 corresponding to a plurality of signals received at thecurrent location coordinates of the mobile device 502. The referencedatabase in the POS device 202 may store channel parameterscorresponding to the plurality of signals received at each of aplurality of location coordinates of the plurality of mobile devices inthe network. The mobile device 502 may determine its locationcoordinates based on comparing the retrieved first set of parameterswith the stored parameters in the reference database. The retrievedfirst set of parameters and the stored parameters in the referencedatabase may comprise one or more of a time of arrival (TOA) delayextracted using received signal strength indicator (RSSI) transition, atime of arrival delay extracted using signal preamble correlation, atime difference of arrival (TDOA), a transmitted signal strength, anangle of arrival (AOA), equalizer filter coefficients, channel multipathprofile, channel fast Fourier transform (FFT) coefficients, beaconsignal strength, phase of each pilot tone, amplitude of each pilot toneand/or Doppler shift associated with movement of the plurality of mobiledevices, for example, mobile device 502.

The navigation module 532 may be operable to utilize the determinedlocation coordinates of the mobile device 502 for navigation purposes.For example, the navigation module 532 may indicate the location of themobile device 502 on a map 302 and track the speed and direction ofmovement of the mobile device 502.

FIG. 6A is an exemplary flow chart illustrating exemplary steps forcommunicating location of a mobile device to a POS device via anexemplary peer-to-peer ad-hoc network, in accordance with an embodimentof the invention. Referring to FIG. 6A, exemplary steps may begin atstep 602.

In step 604, a selected POS device 202 in a store may display a map 302of the store or a peer-to-peer ad-hoc network 200 in a defined geo-fence222 around the selected POS device 202. In step 606, a first mobiledevice 208 may determine its location coordinates. In accordance with anembodiment of the invention, the first mobile device 208 may determineits location coordinates based on one or more positioning methods asdescribed in Application Docket No. 25002US01, U.S. application Ser. No.______ filed ______, which is hereby incorporated herein by reference inits entirety.

In step 608, the first mobile device 208 may determine whether it iswithin a generated geo-fence of a selected POS device 202. In instanceswhere the first mobile device 208 is not within a generated geo-fence ofthe selected POS device 202, control passes to step 610. In step 610,after waiting for a certain period of time, control returns to step 606to determine the location coordinates of the first mobile device 208.For example, the user of the mobile device 208 may be moving around andmay be within the generated geo-fence of the selected POS device 202after a certain period of time.

In instances where the first mobile device 208 is within a generatedgeo-fence of the selected POS device 202, a notification may betriggered on the mobile device 208 indicating its presence within thegenerated geo-fence of the selected POS device 202 and control passes tostep 612. In step 612, the first mobile device 208 may determine whetherthe selected POS device 202 is within its range of communication. Ininstances where the selected POS device 202 is within a range ofcommunication of the first mobile device 208, control passes to step614. In step 614, the first mobile device 208 may communicate itslocation coordinates and/or payment transaction information to theselected POS device 202 directly or via the peer-to-peer ad-hoc network.For example, the first mobile device 208 may communicate anauthorization to execute a payment transaction when the first mobiledevice 208 is within a generated geo-fence of the selected POS device202 and the selected POS device 202 is within a range of communicationof the first mobile device 208. Control then passes to step 626.

In instances where the selected POS device 202 is not within a range ofcommunication of the first mobile device 208, control passes to step616. In step 616, the first mobile device 208 may determine whetheranother intermediate mobile device or access point in the peer-to-peerad-hoc network is within its range of communication. In instances whereanother intermediate mobile device or access point in the peer-to-peerad-hoc network is not within a range of communication of the firstmobile device 208, control passes to step 610. For example, the user ofthe mobile device 208 may be moving around and one or more intermediatemobile devices and/or access points in the peer-to-peer ad-hoc networkmay be within its range of communication after a certain period of timeor the selected POS device 202 may be within its range of communicationafter a certain period of time.

In instances where another intermediate mobile device or access point inthe peer-to-peer ad-hoc network is within a range of communication ofthe first mobile device 208, control passes to step 618. In step 618,the first mobile device 208 may communicate its location coordinatesand/or payment transaction information to the intermediate mobile device206 or access point in the peer-to-peer ad-hoc network. For example, thefirst mobile device 208 may communicate an authorization to execute apayment transaction when the first mobile device 208 is within agenerated geo-fence of the selected POS device 202 and the intermediatemobile device 206 is within a range of communication of the first mobiledevice 208.

In step 620, it may be determined whether the selected POS device 202 iswithin a range of communication of the intermediate mobile device 206 oraccess point in the peer-to-peer ad-hoc network. In instances where theselected POS device 202 is not within a range of communication of theintermediate mobile device 206 or access point in the peer-to-peerad-hoc network, control passes to step 622. In step 622, theintermediate mobile device 206 or access point in the peer-to-peerad-hoc network may communicate the location coordinates of the firstmobile device 208 and/or payment transaction information to anotherintermediate mobile device 204 or access point via the peer-to-peerad-hoc network. For example, the intermediate mobile device 206 maycommunicate an authorization to execute a payment transaction to theintermediate mobile device 204 when the first mobile device 208 iswithin a generated geo-fence of the selected POS device 202 and theintermediate mobile device 204 is within a range of communication of theintermediate mobile device 206. Control then returns to step 620.

In instances where the selected POS device 202 is within a range ofcommunication of the intermediate mobile device 206 or access point inthe peer-to-peer ad-hoc network, control passes to step 624. In step624, the intermediate mobile device or access point in the peer-to-peerad-hoc network may communicate the first mobile device's 208 locationcoordinates and/or payment transaction information to the selected POSdevice 202 via the peer-to-peer ad-hoc network. For example, theintermediate mobile device may communicate an authorization to execute apayment transaction to the selected POS device 202 when the first mobiledevice 208 is within a generated geo-fence of the selected POS device202 and the selected POS device 202 is within a range of communicationof the intermediate mobile device. Control then passes to step 626.

The user with the mobile device 208 may choose to purchase one or moreitems within the store or the generated geo-fence 222. When the userwith the mobile device 208 is ready to checkout, the mobile device 208may communicate an authorization via the peer-to-peer ad-hoc network tothe selected POS device 202 to execute a payment transaction based onthe one or more items chosen to be purchased when the first mobiledevice 208 is within the defined geo-fence 222. In step 626, the firstmobile device 208 may receive an authorization response for the executedpayment transaction from the POS device 202 via the peer-to-peer ad-hocnetwork. For example, if the first mobile device 208 is within a rangeof communication of the selected POS device 202, the first mobile device208 may receive an authorization response for the executed paymenttransaction directly from the selected POS device 202. In instanceswhere the first mobile device 208 is not within a range of communicationof the selected POS device 202, the first mobile device 208 may receivean authorization response for the executed payment transaction from theselected POS device 202 via one or more intermediate mobile devicesand/or access points in the peer-to-peer ad-hoc network. Control thenpasses to end step 628. In accordance with an embodiment of theinvention, the user with the mobile device 208 may be able to executethe payment transaction without physically using or swiping a credit ordebit card, or without physically tapping or holding the mobile device208 near the POS device 202.

FIG. 6B is an exemplary flow chart illustrating exemplary steps forcommunicating advertisement and discounted deal information from a POSdevice to a mobile device via an exemplary peer-to-peer ad-hoc network,in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. Referring to FIG. 6B,exemplary steps may begin at step 652.

In step 654, a first POS device 202 in a store may display a map 302 ofthe store or a peer-to-peer ad-hoc network 200 in a defined geo-fence222 around the first POS device 202. In step 656, the first POS device202 may receive the location coordinates of a selected mobile device208.

In step 658, the first POS device 202 may determine whether the selectedmobile device 208 is within a generated geo-fence of the first POSdevice 202. In instances where the selected mobile device 208 is notwithin a generated geo-fence of the first POS device 202, control passesto step 660. In step 660, after waiting for a certain period of time,control returns to step 656, where the first POS device 202 may receivethe location coordinates of the selected mobile device 208. For example,the user of the mobile device 208 may be moving around and may be withinthe generated geo-fence of the POS device 202 after a certain period oftime.

In instances where the selected mobile device 208 is within a generatedgeo-fence of the first POS device 202, a notification may be triggeredon the POS device 202 indicating the presence of the selected mobiledevice 208 within the generated geo-fence of the first POS device 202and control passes to step 662. In step 662, the first POS device 202may determine whether the selected mobile device 204 is within its rangeof communication. In instances where the selected mobile device 204 iswithin a range of communication of the first POS device 202, controlpasses to step 664. In step 664, the first POS device 202 maycommunicate advertisement, discounted deal and/or payment transactioninformation to the selected mobile device 204 directly or via thepeer-to-peer ad-hoc network. For example, the first POS device 202 maycommunicate advertisement information and/or discounted deal informationfor one or more items recently purchased by the user of the mobiledevice 204 when the selected mobile device 204 is within a generatedgeo-fence of the first POS device 202 and the selected mobile device 204is within a range of communication of the first POS device 202. Controlthen passes to step 676.

In instances where the selected mobile device 208 is not within a rangeof communication of the first POS device 202, control passes to step666. In step 666, the first POS device 202 may determine whether anotherintermediate mobile device or access point in the peer-to-peer ad-hocnetwork is within its range of communication. In instances where anotherintermediate mobile device or access point in the peer-to-peer ad-hocnetwork is not within a range of communication of the first POS device202, control passes to step 660. For example, the users of variousmobile devices may be moving around and one or more intermediate mobiledevices and/or access points in the peer-to-peer ad-hoc network may bewithin a range of communication of the POS device 202 after a certainperiod of time or the selected mobile device 208 may be within a rangeof communication of the POS device 202 after a certain period of time.

In instances where another intermediate mobile device or access point inthe peer-to-peer ad-hoc network is within a range of communication ofthe first POS device 202, control passes to step 668. In step 668, thefirst POS device 202 may communicate advertisement, discounted deal,referral reward, and/or payment transaction information to theintermediate mobile device 204 or access point in the peer-to-peerad-hoc network. For example, the first POS device 202 may communicateadvertisement information and discounted deal information for one ormore items recently purchased by the user of the mobile device 208 tothe intermediate mobile device 204 when the first mobile device 208 iswithin a generated geo-fence of the selected POS device 202 and theintermediate mobile device 204 is within a range of communication of thefirst POS device 202. The first POS device 202 may also communicatereferral reward information to the intermediate mobile device 204.

In step 670, it may be determined whether the selected mobile device 208is within a range of communication of the intermediate mobile device 204or access point in the peer-to-peer ad-hoc network. In instances wherethe selected mobile device 208 is not within a range of communication ofthe intermediate mobile device 204 or access point in the peer-to-peerad-hoc network, control passes to step 672. In step 672, theintermediate mobile device 204 or access point in the peer-to-peerad-hoc network may communicate advertisement, discounted deal, referralreward, and/or payment transaction information to another intermediatemobile device 206 or access point via the peer-to-peer ad-hoc network.For example, the intermediate mobile device 204 may communicateadvertisement information and discounted deal information for one ormore items recently purchased by the user of the mobile device 208 tothe intermediate mobile device 206 when the selected mobile device 208is within a generated geo-fence of the first POS device 202 and theintermediate mobile device 206 is within a range of communication of theintermediate mobile device 204. The intermediate mobile device 204 mayalso communicate referral reward information to the intermediate mobiledevice 206. Control then returns to step 670.

In instances where the selected mobile device 208 is within a range ofcommunication of the intermediate mobile device 206 or access point inthe peer-to-peer ad-hoc network, control passes to step 674. In step674, the intermediate mobile device 206 or access point in thepeer-to-peer ad-hoc network may communicate advertisement, discounteddeal and/or payment transaction information to the selected mobiledevice 208 via the peer-to-peer ad-hoc network. For example, theintermediate mobile device 206 may communicate advertisement informationand discounted deal information for one or more items recently purchasedby the user of the mobile device 208 to the selected mobile device 208,when the selected mobile device 208 is within a generated geo-fence ofthe first POS device 202 and the selected mobile device 208 is within arange of communication of the intermediate mobile device 206. Controlthen passes to step 676.

The user with the mobile device 208 may choose to purchase one or moreitems within the store or the generated geo-fence 222. When the userwith the mobile device 208 is ready to checkout, the mobile device 208may communicate an authorization via the peer-to-peer ad-hoc network tothe POS device 202 to execute a payment transaction based on the one ormore items chosen to be purchased when the mobile device 208 is withinthe defined geo-fence 222. In step 676, the POS device 202 mayauthenticate the received payment transaction information from themobile device 208. For example, the POS device 202 may authenticate thereceived payment transaction information from the selected mobile device208 based on one or more of a voice recognition, a gesture, a computerface recognition and/or a biometric recognition, for example.

The POS device 202 may communicate an authorization response oracknowledgement for the executed payment transaction to the mobiledevice 208 via the peer-to-peer ad-hoc network. For example, if theselected mobile device 208 is within a range of communication of thefirst POS device 202, the first POS device 202 may communicate anauthorization response for the executed payment transaction directly tothe selected mobile device 208. In instances where the selected mobiledevice 208 is not within a range of communication of the first POSdevice 202, the first POS device 202 may communicate an authorizationresponse for the executed payment transaction to the selected mobiledevice 208 via one or more intermediate mobile devices and/or accesspoints in the peer-to-peer ad-hoc network. Control then passes to endstep 678.

In accordance with an embodiment of the invention, a method and systemfor communicating location of a mobile device for hands-free payment maycomprise a peer-to-peer ad-hoc network 200 (FIG. 2) comprising aplurality of mobile devices 204 (FIG. 2), 206 (FIG. 2), 208 (FIG. 2),210 (FIG. 2), a plurality of access points 218 (FIG. 2 and 220 (FIG. 2),and a plurality of point of sale devices 202 (FIG. 2). A first of theplurality of mobile devices, for example, the mobile device 208 may beoperable to determine its location coordinates. The first mobile device208 may communicate its determined location coordinates to a selectedone of the plurality of POS devices, for example, the POS device 202 viathe peer to peer ad-hoc network 200. At least one of the plurality ofmobile devices, for example, mobile device 204 and/or the plurality ofaccess points, for example, access point 218 is within a definedproximity of the selected POS device 202.

The first mobile device 208 may determine whether it is within thedefined proximity of the selected POS device 202 based on a generatedgeo-fence 222 (FIG. 2) around the selected POS device 202. The firstmobile device 208 may communicate an authorization to execute a paymenttransaction when the first mobile device 208 is within the generatedgeo-fence 222 around the selected POS device 202. The first mobiledevice 208 may communicate an authorization to execute a paymenttransaction to the selected POS device via the peer to peer ad-hocnetwork 200. The first mobile device 208 may receive an authorizationresponse for the executed payment transaction from the selected POSdevice 202 via the peer to peer ad-hoc network 200. The first mobiledevice 208 may receive one or both of advertisement information and/ordiscounted deal information from the selected POS device 202 via thepeer to peer ad-hoc network 200.

The first mobile device 208 may communicate its determined locationcoordinates to the selected POS device 202 via the peer to peer ad-hocnetwork 200 using short-range wireless communication protocols. Theshort-range wireless communication protocols may comprise one or more ofnear field communication (NFC), Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN),Bluetooth, WiMax, Wi-Fi Direct, radio frequency identification (RFID),Ultra-wideband (UWB), cellular, and/or 60 Ghz protocols.

The first mobile device 208 may communicate its determined locationcoordinates directly to the selected POS device 202, if the selected POSdevice 202 is within a range of the first mobile device 208. The firstmobile device 208 may communicate its determined location coordinates toone or more intermediate ones of the plurality of mobile devices, forexample, mobile devices 206 and 204 and/or the plurality of accesspoints within a range of the first mobile device 208, if the selectedPOS device 202 is not within a range of the first mobile device 208.

In accordance with another embodiment of the invention, a method andsystem for communicating location of a mobile device for hands-freepayment may comprise a peer-to-peer ad-hoc network 200 (FIG. 2)comprising a plurality of mobile devices 204 (FIG. 2), 206 (FIGS. 2),and 208 (FIG. 2), and a plurality of POS devices, for example, POSdevice 202 (FIG. 2).

The first of the plurality of POS devices, for example, POS device 202may receive via one or more intermediate ones of the plurality of mobiledevices, for example, mobile devices 204 and 206 in the peer to peerad-hoc network 200, location coordinates and payment transactioninformation of a selected one of the plurality of mobile devices, forexample, mobile device 208. At least one of the one or more intermediateones of the plurality of mobile devices, for example, mobile device 204is within a defined proximity or generated geo-fence 222 (FIG. 2) of thefirst POS device 202. The POS device 202 may communicate one or more ofadvertisement information, discounted deal information, and/or referralreward information to at least one of the one or more intermediate onesof the plurality of mobile devices, for example, mobile device 204within a range of the first POS device 202.

The POS device 202 may receive the location coordinates and the paymenttransaction information directly from the selected mobile device 208, ifthe selected mobile device 208 is within a range of communication of thefirst POS device 202. The POS device 202 may receive an authorization toexecute a payment transaction from the selected mobile device 208 viathe peer to peer ad-hoc network 200 when the selected mobile device 208is within the defined proximity or the generated geo-fence 222 of thefirst POS device 202. The POS device 202 may communicate anauthorization response for the executed payment transaction to theselected mobile device 208 via the peer to peer ad-hoc network 200. ThePOS device 202 may receive a speed of movement and a direction ofmovement of the selected mobile device 208. The POS device 202 maygenerate a map 302 (FIG. 3) indicating a location of the selected mobiledevice 312 ₆ (FIG. 3) and at least a portion of one or more intermediateones of the plurality of mobile devices, for example, mobile devices 312₅ (FIGS. 3) and 312 ₄ (FIG. 3) in the peer to peer ad-hoc network 301(FIG. 3). The POS device 202 may authenticate the received paymenttransaction information from the selected mobile device 208 based on oneor more of a voice recognition, a computer face recognition and/or abiometric recognition.

Other embodiments of the invention may provide a non-transitory computerreadable medium and/or storage medium, and/or a non-transitory machinereadable medium and/or storage medium, having stored thereon, a machinecode and/or a computer program having at least one code sectionexecutable by a machine and/or a computer, thereby causing the machineand/or computer to perform the steps comprising a peer-to-peer ad-hocnetwork that comprises a plurality of mobile devices, a plurality ofaccess points, and a plurality of POS devices. A first mobile device maydetermine its location coordinates and communicate them to a selectedPOS device via the peer to peer ad-hoc network. At least one of theplurality of mobile devices and/or the plurality of access points may bewithin a defined proximity of the selected POS device. In anotherembodiment of the invention, the first POS device may receive via one ormore intermediate mobile devices in the peer-to-peer ad-hoc network,location coordinates and payment transaction information of a selectedmobile device. At least one of the intermediate mobile devices may bewithin a defined proximity of the first POS device.

Accordingly, the present invention may be realized in hardware, or acombination of hardware and software. The present invention may berealized in a centralized fashion in at least one computer system, or ina distributed fashion where different elements may be spread acrossseveral interconnected computer systems. Any kind of computer system orother apparatus adapted for carrying out the methods described hereinmay be suited. A combination of hardware and software may be ageneral-purpose computer system with a computer program that, when beingloaded and executed, may control the computer system such that itcarries out the methods described herein. The present invention may berealized in hardware that comprises a portion of an integrated circuitthat also performs other functions.

The present invention may also be embedded in a computer programproduct, which comprises all the features enabling the implementation ofthe methods described herein, and which when loaded in a computer systemis able to carry out these methods. Computer program in the presentcontext means any expression, in any language, code or notation, of aset of instructions intended to cause a system having an informationprocessing capability to perform a particular function either directlyor after either or both of the following: a) conversion to anotherlanguage, code or notation; b) reproduction in a different materialform.

While the present invention has been described with reference to certainembodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art thatvarious changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted withoutdeparting from the scope of the present invention. In addition, manymodifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material tothe teachings of the present invention without departing from its scope.Therefore, it is intended that the present invention not be limited tothe particular embodiment disclosed, but that the present invention willinclude all embodiments falling within the scope of the appended claims.

1. A method for communication, the method comprising: in a peer-to-peerad-hoc network comprising a plurality of mobile devices, a plurality ofaccess points, and a plurality of point of sale devices: determininglocation coordinates of a first of said plurality of mobile devices;communicating said determined location coordinates to a selected one ofsaid plurality of point of sale devices via said peer to peer ad-hocnetwork, wherein at least one of said plurality of mobile devices and/orsaid plurality of access points is within a defined proximity of saidselected one of said plurality of point of sale devices.
 2. The methodaccording to claim 1, comprising determining whether said first of saidplurality of mobile devices is within said defined proximity of saidselected one of said plurality of point of sale devices based on agenerated geo-fence around said selected one of said plurality of pointof sale devices.
 3. The method according to claim 2, comprisingcommunicating an authorization to execute a payment transaction whensaid first of said plurality of mobile devices is within said generatedgeo-fence around said selected one of said plurality of point of saledevices.
 4. The method according to claim 1, comprising communicating anauthorization to execute a payment transaction to said selected one ofsaid plurality of point of sale devices via said peer to peer ad-hocnetwork.
 5. The method according to claim 4, comprising receiving anauthorization response for said executed payment transaction from saidselected one of said plurality of point of sale devices via said peer topeer ad-hoc network.
 6. The method according to claim 1, comprisingreceiving one or both of: advertisement information and/or discounteddeal information from said selected one of said plurality of point ofsale devices via said peer to peer ad-hoc network.
 7. The methodaccording to claim 1, comprising communicating said determined locationcoordinates to said selected one of said plurality of point of saledevices via said peer to peer ad-hoc network using short range wirelesscommunication protocols.
 8. The method according to claim 7, whereinsaid short range wireless communication protocols comprise one or moreof: near field communication (NFC), Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN),Bluetooth, WiMax, Wi-Fi Direct, radio frequency identification (RFID),Ultra-wideband (UWB), cellular, and/or 60 Ghz protocols.
 9. The methodaccording to claim 1, comprising communicating said determined locationcoordinates directly to said selected one of said plurality of point ofsale devices, if said selected one of said plurality of point of saledevices is within a range of said first of said plurality of mobiledevices.
 10. The method according to claim 1, comprising communicatingsaid determined location coordinates to one or more intermediate ones ofsaid plurality of mobile devices and/or said plurality of access pointswithin a range of said first of said plurality of mobile devices, ifsaid selected one of said plurality of point of sale devices is notwithin a range of said first of said plurality of mobile devices.
 11. Amethod for communication, the method comprising: in a peer-to-peerad-hoc network comprising a plurality of mobile devices and a pluralityof point of sale devices: receiving at a first of said plurality ofpoint of sale devices via one or more intermediate ones of saidplurality of mobile devices in said peer to peer ad-hoc network,location coordinates and payment transaction information of a selectedone of said plurality of mobile devices, wherein at least one of saidone or more intermediate ones of said plurality of mobile devices iswithin a defined proximity of said first of said plurality of point ofsale devices.
 12. The method according to claim 11, comprisingcommunicating one or more of: advertisement information, discounted dealinformation, and/or referral reward information to said at least one ofsaid one or more intermediate ones of said plurality of mobile deviceswithin a range of said first of said plurality of point of sale devices.13. The method according to claim 11, comprising receiving said locationcoordinates and said payment transaction information directly from saidselected one of said plurality of mobile devices, if said selected oneof said plurality of mobile devices is within a range of said first ofsaid plurality of point of sale devices.
 14. The method according toclaim 11, comprising receiving an authorization to execute a paymenttransaction from said selected one of said plurality of mobile devicesvia said peer to peer ad-hoc network when said selected one of saidplurality of mobile devices is within said defined proximity of saidfirst of said plurality of point of sale devices.
 15. The methodaccording to claim 14, comprising communicating an authorizationresponse for said executed payment transaction to said selected one ofsaid plurality of mobile devices via said peer to peer ad-hoc network.16. The method according to claim 11, comprising receiving a speed ofmovement and a direction of movement of said selected one of saidplurality of mobile devices at said selected one of said plurality ofpoint of sale devices.
 17. The method according to claim 11, comprisinggenerating a map indicating a location of said selected one of saidplurality of mobile devices and at least a portion of said one or moreintermediate ones of said plurality of mobile devices in said peer topeer ad-hoc network.
 18. The method according to claim 11, comprisingauthenticating said received payment transaction information from saidselected one of said plurality of mobile devices based on one or moreof: a voice recognition, a gesture, a computer face recognition and/or abiometric recognition.
 19. A system for communication, the systemcomprising: in a peer-to-peer ad-hoc network comprising a plurality ofmobile devices, a plurality of access points, and a plurality of pointof sale devices, one or more processors and/or circuits in a first ofsaid plurality of mobile devices, said one or more processors and/orcircuits being operable to: determine location coordinates of a first ofsaid plurality of mobile devices; communicate said determined locationcoordinates to a selected one of said plurality of point of sale devicesvia said peer to peer ad-hoc network, wherein at least one of saidplurality of mobile devices and/or said plurality of access points iswithin a defined proximity of said selected one of said plurality ofpoint of sale devices.
 20. The system according to claim 19, whereinsaid one or more processors and/or circuits are operable to determinewhether said first of said plurality of mobile devices is within saiddefined proximity of said selected one of said plurality of point ofsale devices based on a generated geo-fence around said selected one ofsaid plurality of point of sale devices.
 21. The system according toclaim 20, wherein said one or more processors and/or circuits areoperable to communicate an authorization to execute a paymenttransaction when said first of said plurality of mobile devices iswithin said generated geo-fence around said selected one of saidplurality of point of sale devices.
 22. The system according to claim19, wherein said one or more processors and/or circuits are operable tocommunicate an authorization to execute a payment transaction to saidselected one of said plurality of point of sale devices via said peer topeer ad-hoc network.
 23. The system according to claim 22, wherein saidone or more processors and/or circuits are operable to receive anauthorization response for said executed payment transaction from saidselected one of said plurality of point of sale devices via said peer topeer ad-hoc network.
 24. The system according to claim 19, wherein saidone or more processors and/or circuits are operable to receive one orboth of: advertisement information and/or discounted deal informationfrom said selected one of said plurality of point of sale devices viasaid peer to peer ad-hoc network.
 25. The system according to claim 19,wherein said one or more processors and/or circuits are operable tocommunicate said determined location coordinates to said selected one ofsaid plurality of point of sale devices via said peer to peer ad-hocnetwork using short range wireless communication protocols.
 26. Thesystem according to claim 25, wherein said short range wirelesscommunication protocols comprise one or more of: near fieldcommunication (NFC), Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN), Bluetooth,WiMax, Wi-Fi Direct, radio frequency identification (RFID),Ultra-wideband (UWB), cellular, and/or 60 Ghz protocols.
 27. The systemaccording to claim 19, wherein said one or more processors and/orcircuits are operable to communicate said determined locationcoordinates directly to said selected one of said plurality of point ofsale devices, if said selected one of said plurality of point of saledevices is within a range of said first of said plurality of mobiledevices.
 28. The system according to claim 19, wherein said one or moreprocessors and/or circuits are operable to communicate said determinedlocation coordinates to one or more intermediate ones of said pluralityof mobile devices and/or said plurality of access points within a rangeof said first of said plurality of mobile devices, if said selected oneof said plurality of point of sale devices is not within a range of saidfirst of said plurality of mobile devices.
 29. A system forcommunication, the system comprising: in a peer-to-peer ad-hoc networkcomprising a plurality of mobile devices and a plurality of point ofsale devices, one or more processors and/or circuits in a first of saidplurality of point of sale devices, said one or more processors and/orcircuits being operable to: receive at a first of said plurality ofpoint of sale devices via one or more intermediate ones of saidplurality of mobile devices in said peer to peer ad-hoc network,location coordinates and payment transaction information of a selectedone of said plurality of mobile devices, wherein at least one of saidone or more intermediate ones of said plurality of mobile devices iswithin a defined proximity of said first of said plurality of point ofsale devices.
 30. The system according to claim 29, wherein said one ormore processors and/or circuits are operable to communicate one or moreof: advertisement information, discounted deal information, and/orreferral reward information to said at least one of said one or moreintermediate ones of said plurality of mobile devices within a range ofsaid first of said plurality of point of sale devices.
 31. The systemaccording to claim 29, wherein said one or more processors and/orcircuits are operable to receive said location coordinates and saidpayment transaction information directly from said selected one of saidplurality of mobile devices, if said selected one of said plurality ofmobile devices is within a range of said first of said plurality ofpoint of sale devices.
 32. The system according to claim 29, whereinsaid one or more processors and/or circuits are operable to receive anauthorization to execute a payment transaction from said selected one ofsaid plurality of mobile devices via said peer to peer ad-hoc networkwhen said selected one of said plurality of mobile devices is withinsaid defined proximity of said first of said plurality of point of saledevices.
 33. The system according to claim 32, wherein said one or moreprocessors and/or circuits are operable to communicate an authorizationresponse for said executed payment transaction to said selected one ofsaid plurality of mobile devices via said peer to peer ad-hoc network.34. The system according to claim 29, wherein said one or moreprocessors and/or circuits are operable to receive a speed of movementand a direction of movement of said selected one of said plurality ofmobile devices at said selected one of said plurality of point of saledevices.
 35. The system according to claim 29, wherein said one or moreprocessors and/or circuits are operable to generate a map indicating alocation of said selected one of said plurality of mobile devices and atleast a portion of said one or more intermediate ones of said pluralityof mobile devices in said peer to peer ad-hoc network.
 36. The systemaccording to claim 29, wherein said one or more processors and/orcircuits are operable to authenticate said received payment transactioninformation from said selected one of said plurality of mobile devicesbased on one or more of: a voice recognition, a gesture, a computer facerecognition and/or a biometric recognition.